Calling all our UK-based Students – Cinema Student Standby has finally arrived! We are rolling out our £10 Student Standby tickets to cinemas, bringing world-class opera and ballet to you in your local cinema.

It really is that simple. Do check that your local cinema is screening Royal Opera House Live productions before you head off, and that they have tickets available. Then, take a tenner, a friend and your valid Student ID, and settle down to watch world-class opera and ballet in the comfort of your local cinema.

Make your first visit to the Royal Opera House a wonderful experience with tickets at a very special price.

People who have never been to a performance at the Royal Opera House will be able to see The Royal Ballet perform Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on Saturday 6 December at 1.30pm from as little as £1. Other seats are available for £5, £10, £15, £20 and the best seats in the house only £25 per person. There will be a series of fun activities for all ages throughout the building prior to the performance.

Thanks to the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treats, thousands of people who had not previously been to a performance at the Royal Opera House have been able to enjoy opera and ballet at the famous Covent Garden theatre, with many returning again and again – it is time you joined in too.

When Alice wanders away from a family tea party, little does she expect to fall down a rabbit hole into a magical world filled with curious creatures.

The Royal Ballet's hugely popular retelling of Lewis Carroll's classic story is back for its first ever Christmas appearance. And what better time could there be to bring the whole family along to share the fun? You'll meet the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and all the other colourful characters you might expect – and be prepared for a few exciting surprises on the way!

Before the performance from 10.30am, ticket holders will be able to explore stalls in the Paul Hamlyn Hall which give an insight into what some of our backstage departments do.

Want to make a souvenir to take away with you? Join us to create your very own Wonderland themed Christmas decoration. In the Crush Room, we will have a professional designer and mountains of materials for families to get their hands dirty making something related to Lewis Carroll’s enduring story, even the chance to design your own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party cup and saucer set!

Fancy trying on a costume? Our Amphitheatre Restaurant will feature a range of amazing, authentic costumes from both opera and ballet productions. Try something on with your children and take photographs as a memento. Are you a budding musician? We’ll have a professional on-hand throughout the morning who will let you have a go on one of their instruments, and will show you how they sound and how they are played.

Relax to the sounds of our live band and enjoy these free activities throughout the morning and lunchtime before the performance begins at 1.30pm. Arrive early to make sure you can take advantage of them all!

Don't be late for your very important date!

The Performance of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is on Saturday 6 December at 1.30pm (doors open at 10.30am for pre-performance activities).

Royal Opera House Restaurants offer a selection of menus in our bars and restaurants throughout the House and there is something for everyone to choose from. We have children’s menus in each area so that the whole family can fully enjoy the experience.

We are also offering pre-ordered lunch boxes for this event, an adult one priced at £6.95 and a children’s one for £4.95, which have a drink, sandwich, tasty treat, piece of fruit and a packet of crisps in each. Please call the number below to order your lunch box in advance.

The Amphitheatre Bar and Paul Hamlyn Bar will both be serving a selection of drinks and lighter snacks such as sandwiches.

We recommend pre ordering your food in all of our bars and restaurants in order for you and your guests to have a seamless experience. The bars and Amphitheatre Restaurant will also take bookings on the day itself so you won’t miss out.

For more details or to make a booking online please visit our restaurants and bars pages. Alternatively please call the team on +44 (0) 20 7212 9254

The performance is recommended for children over five years old who are very welcome. They will require their own ticket next to the accompanying adults. Babies and infants unfortunately will not be admitted into the auditorium, this is to enable a good experience for all those attending, including parents and carers!

The Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat is generously supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust, in memory of the late Paul Hamlyn.

On Saturday 14 December the Royal Opera House threw its doors open for the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat performance of The Nutcracker.

Those who have never been to a performance at the Royal Opera House before were able to see The Royal Ballet perform from as little as £1 with a top price of £19.50.

Before the performance there were fun activities for all ages throughout the building including a stage make-up masterclass, chances to try out musical instruments, seeing how pointe shoes and tiaras are made, dressing up and even the chance to swing an axe used on stage (with all the proper precautions, of course!).

Thanks to the generosity of the Helen Hamlyn Trust, now supporting this event in its sixth year, thousands of opera and ballet newcomers have been able to come to the Royal Opera House, with many returning again and again. Lady Helen Hamlyn, dedicating this day to the memory of her late husband Paul Hamlyn, described the excitement of all the families attending as, '.....exactly what Paul enjoyed most at the Royal Opera House, he loved seeing new audiences enjoy themselves which is one reason why my trust has continued to fund these performances. The arts provide an important dimension in people’s lives: to reflect, to dream, to have fun and discover creativity in themselves and that’s what is happening all around me today.'

During the frenzied creativity of the decoration-making workshops in the Crush Room, we stopped children just long enough to ask them what they thought of the day so far. Cries of ‘Brilliant!’, ‘Amazing!’ and ‘Awesome!’ seemed to capture the mood. Three-year-old Scarlett even had a chance to conduct the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (watch out Antonio Pappano!) after coming all the way from Barnsley and setting off at 6am that morning. Waving the baton was a thrilling highlight to a day that, for Scarlett, also included holding a stage gun and waving around a dagger under the supervision of our Armoury department.

It's not just the audience who enjoy the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat. The dancers of The Royal Ballet see them as special performances too, with First Soloist Bennet Gartside (Herr Drosselmeyer) saying before the performance how fantastic it is for the artists to know that audiences are getting their first taste of the art form that has become the dancers’ lives.

There was also a rare glimpse of an open set-change, with the curtain drawn back to reveal what happens backstage during a scene change. Commentary was provided by Royal Ballet Education Administrator and Teacher David Pickering, so that the audience knew exactly what was going on.

With the curtain coming down a huge cheer went up from everyone watching and after several bows from the Royal Ballet over 2,000 new audience members went smiling and chatting excitedly into the late Covent Garden afternoon. We hope to see you all again soon.

To find out about events like the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat, register to hear about performances, cinema and daytime events.

The Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat is generously supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust, in memory of the late Paul Hamlyn.

Last month we invited those of you in higher education to apply to become a Royal Opera House Student Ambassador and we were swiftly deluged with hundreds of enthusiastic responses. We did our best to whittle down a shortlist for interview and since then have appointed our new Student Ambassadors for the 2013/14 Season.

A quick nod to last year’s group – they came up with so many ideas and helped us reboot the Student offering in such a fantastic way that the bar has been set very high for our new Ambassadors. Two of our 2012/13 Ambassadors, Beth Baker-Wyse and Dave Wilson, particularly impressed us with the effort they put in and both won week’s work experience at the Royal Opera House. Following the success of last year's scheme, three of last year’s Ambassadors have stayed on with us to show the new ones the ropes.

This new group will pick up the baton and continue to help us shape our student-focused events at Covent Garden, around the UK in cinemas and on their campuses, and make sure that the ROH Student Scheme allows access to students from all over the UK.

The creation of the Student Ambassador scheme is not just a way of helping us reach more people in UK universities, but opens a crucial dialogue between the Royal Opera House and our student audience. We want to hear what students have to say and to act upon it so we hope to implement some new ways of communicating with us and so you can pass ideas to the new Ambassadors. We might even make them wear ROH Student Ambassador t-shirts so you can identify them at the special Amphitheatre performances!

It can’t go unsaid that we’re sorry we couldn’t take more of you on, as the hundreds of applications we received showed us how committed you all are to the Royal Opera House and its art forms and we are genuinely thrilled that so many of you put yourselves forward. In reality, if you are sharing your enthusiasm about opera or ballet, you are already an ROH Ambassador.

Our Student Standby scheme offers over 10,000 dedicated tickets to Students as well as £10 tickets for unsold performances to current students. Sign up to ROH Students.

Applications are now open to be a Royal Opera House Student Ambassador during the 2013/14 academic year.

Following a fantastic first year of the Ambassador scheme, we are once again looking for passionate, creative and confident students who will be brilliant advocates for the Royal Opera House in their universities around the UK from September onwards.

Ambassadors will promote our events to fellow students throughout the year by ensuring that the Royal Opera House is represented in the right places and at the right times on and around their campus/universities. We're keen for Ambassadors to share details of productions from the Main Stage, performances in our Linbury Studio Theatre and Cinema Season relays around the UK.

believe that all students should have access to world-class productions at the Royal Opera House, whether it be in London in their local cinema, and we'd like you to help us spread the word.

As an Ambassador, you will get:

Access to discounted and complimentary tickets to Royal Opera House productions

A fascinating insight into the inner workings of one of the world’s greatest opera houses

The opportunity to meet and network with other Ambassadors and arts professionals

The opportunity to meet the Royal Opera House staff and creative team

The opportunity to enhance your CV with invaluable experience.

The most impressive Student Ambassador will be awarded a week of work experience at the Royal Opera House in September 2014.

It’s not every day you get chat to Kasper Holten about the staging of Die Zauberflöte, or mingle with Carlos Acosta at the stage door after a performance. Such is the life of a Royal Opera House student ambassador, a truly unique experience for young people with an enthusiasm for the Arts.'

To be a an Ambassador you have to be willing to spend the time connecting with your student body, but it is worth it. Being able to talk to students who have just seen their first opera or ballet (and are already booked to see more) is hugely rewarding, and it is amazing to see changes happen in which you know you have played a part.'

To apply to be a Student Ambassador, send your CV and a description of why you would make a brilliant Ambassador, including an idea of how you would promote the Royal Opera House in your campus (max 250 words) to studentstandby@roh.org.uk by 14 June.

Shortlisted applicants will be notified by 19 June and must be available for interview at the Royal Opera House on 27 June. Successful applicants will be notified the same day and are invited to a Welcome Event to meet other Ambassadors and the Royal Opera House team in Covent Garden on 10 July. Travel expenses for both events will be covered.

Last night we met our newly-appointed Royal Opera House Student Ambassadors. This group of like-minded and passionate students will help us shape our student-focused events at Covent Garden, around the UK in cinemas and on their campuses. The scheme will initially run for a year.

Not only are the Ambassadors a talented bunch of people but they have bags of enthusiasm and ideas on how we can move the Student Standby scheme forward and engage with students in general.

The creation of the Student Ambassador scheme is not just a way of helping us reach more people in universities around the UK, but opens a crucial dialogue between the Royal Opera House and our student audience. We want to hear what students have to say and to act upon it. Following their visit to the Royal Opera House for The Royal Ballet's Mixed Bill of Viscera/Infra/Fool's Paradise, we're getting to know the newest members of our Student Standby Team and look forward to them challenging us with new approaches to opera, ballet, music and dance.

It can’t go unsaid that we're sorry we couldn’t take more of you on, as the hundreds of applications we received showed us what a fantastic and passionate audience you are. We're thrilled that so many of you care enough about the art forms and the Royal Opera House to put yourself forward.

We will continue to bring our Extraordinary World to you, as our new Student Ambassadors help us shape the best student scheme we can offer. Here's to an exciting year ahead!

Calling all students! And parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters of students – in fact, if you know a student, now is the time to tell them about the Royal Opera House Student Standby scheme and this year’s exciting new activity. We're inviting students from all over the UK to apply to be a Royal Opera House Student Ambassador for the coming academic year.

If you already registered with our Student Standby scheme you should have received an email from us by now detailing what we're doing – however – if you are not yet registered with us why not do it today and then apply to become a Student Ambassador?

We're looking for passionate, creative and confident students who'll be brilliant advocates for the Royal Opera House in their universities this year. The first ever ROH Student Ambassadors will promote exciting productions from the Main Stage, the Alternative programme and the ROH Cinema Season throughout the year by ensuring that the Royal Opera House is represented in the right places and at the right times on and around their campus/universities. We believe that ALL students should have access to world-class productions at the Royal Opera House, whether it be in London or at cinemas nationwide and want you to be the one that helps spread the word to your fellow students.

As an Ambassador, you'll get:

Access to discounted and complimentary tickets to Royal Opera House productions

A fascinating insight into the inner workings of one of the world’s greatest opera houses

The opportunity to meet and network with other Ambassadors and arts professionals

The opportunity to get an insight into the Royal Opera House creative departments

The added bonus of bit of CV enhancement!

Plus, the most impressive Student Ambassador will be awarded with a week long work placement at the Royal Opera House in the Summer of 2013.

Applications are open to students from across the UK – you don't have to live in London to be part of the scheme.

How to Apply

To apply to be a Student Ambassador, please send your CV and a description of why you would make a brilliant Ambassador, including an idea of how you would promote the Royal Opera House in your campus to studentstandby@roh.org.uk (max 250 words). Please ensure that your email application states your University, degree course and year of study. The deadline for applications is 13 October.

Shortlisted applicants will be notified by 17 October and must be available for interview at the Royal Opera House on 25 October. Successful applicants will be notified the same day and are invited to a Welcome Event to meet other Ambassadors and the Royal Opera House team at Covent Garden on 8 November, followed by a performance of The Royal Ballet’s Mixed Programme featuring Viscera, Infra and Fool’s Paradise. Travel expenses for both events will be covered.

GOOD LUCK!

The Royal Opera House Student Standby scheme is generously made possible by the Bunting Family and the Robey Family.

Last night the Royal Opera House launched its exclusive Cinema Season. Hosted by Lloyd Bracey and with assembled members of the press and some very recognisable faces including three from the world of opera and ballet, the evening began with a teaser of the productions to be screened, five live and five recorded including Madam Butterfly in 3D.

Royal Opera House Chief Executive, Tony Hall lead the celebration by saying, "This evening marks an exciting milestone for the Royal Opera House – from our first offering in 2007 – Don Giovanni to this, our first ever exclusive Season of ROH opera and ballet in 22 countries and more than 700 cinemas. It’s a moment to celebrate our move into Cinema, which, for us Cinema is about sharing our work with the UK and the rest of the World."

Royal Opera House Cinema Season is different to all other classical cinema seasons because, of course, it offers screenings of both opera AND ballet at affordable prices (from £8). As all of the ballet productions will be live those present were given a taste of what’s in store for ballet fans, an ‘up close and personal’ with two of the world’s finest dancers today – Royal Ballet Principals, Lauren Cuthbertson, and Sergei Polunin. Lauren and Sergei will dance the lead roles in both The Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet, to be screened live into cinemas as part of this new Season. And, with Rob Clark at the piano they danced the pas de deux from Act III of The Sleeping Beauty.

The first three opera productions to be screened will be Faust (live), Adriana Lecouvreur and Tosca. And what better way to let us experience the sheer power of these operas than to have their star, the truly gifted soprano and one of the world’s most glamorous opera singers, Angela Gheorghiu, at the launch to sing O mio babbino caro.

Angela was also interviewed, telling the audience that "Being live in cinemas is like a premiere". She also revealed that she is to be reunited on stage with husband Roberto Alagna in La bohème in 2012.

To close the evening, through the magic of cinema The Royal Opera Music Director, Tony Pappano gave us a sneaky glimpse at the kind of ‘extra’ that cinema audiences can expect as part of their experience, and in fact Angela has just recorded an introduction to Faust, to be broadcast before the live screening on 28 September.

Screening schedule

Wednesday 28 September 2011 Faust (The Royal Opera Live)

October 2011 Adriana Lecouvreur (The Royal Opera recorded)

November 2011 Tosca (The Royal Opera recorded)

Thursday 15 December 2011 The Sleeping Beauty (The Royal Ballet Live)

January 2012 Cendrillon (The Royal Opera recorded)

February 2012 Il trittico (The Royal Opera recorded)

March 2012 Madam Butterfly in 3D (The Royal Opera recorded, presented by RealD)

Thursday 22 March 2012 Romeo and Juliet (The Royal Ballet Live)

Tuesday 17 April 2012 Rigoletto (The Royal Opera Live)

Wednesday 16 May 2012 La Fille mal gardée (The Royal Ballet Live)

Will you be watching a cinema screening from the Royal Opera House? If so, what and where will you be watching from? Tell us via the comments below.